Rewritten: Carpy Deum
by cold-crescent-moon
Summary: The first four chapters have been slightly tampered with, and they were originally written by YoyYoy. This is Rainbow material, if you do not like, then go away, got it memorized? RanRyou
1. The fishing pole

A/N: Well now, hello darlings

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A/N: Well now, hello darlings! Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma, or else this shit would've happened in the first volume. Ranma 1⁄2 is a manga that belongs solely to Rumiko Takahashi-sama.

Warnings: Yaoi, smidgen of OOC (sorry, they might be a bit more OOC than I realize, I try my best I swear on Emmy-chan's liver!) Well, I'm rewriting from Ryouga's first entrance in volume 21 (English version) and let's just say it's not very, er, original. Let's begin, rewriting of The Carp of Misery! XD enjoy!

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'Oh, what shall I get Akane my dear? She's always been so nice to me, how can I not bring her something from my travels?' Ryouga thought, looking between a giant pencil and a giant spoon, both equal in their price, cheesiness, and expression of love. But then something even more tacky caught Ryouga's attention: a sign in front of a basket of fishing poles read: TEMPLE OF KARMIC CONNECTIONS MIRACLE BAMBOO The Fishing Pole of Love 1 rod 1000 yen. Picking up the pole, Ryouga studied it. 'Perhaps Akane would like this, that way she could reel in her crush. . .' An old man came out of the back of the shop and grinned at Ryouga.

"That fishing pole isn't an ordinary fishing pole," he said. (A/N: no, it's an extra crappy one! Sorry, sorry, I had to put this in! Please continue!)

"Oh really?" Ryouga wasn't one to be impolite, so he pretended to be interested in what the man had to say.

"Yes, it's for reeling in your love. See that suction cup on the end? Just stick it to the chest of your love and reel 'er in!" The old man crackled with a grin etched onto his face. Ryouga hummed, considering the fishing pole. Who knew? Maybe this would create an excuse for him, and love might bloom between him and his crush. 'I wouldn't sink that low, would I?' thought Ryouga. 'No, I'll buy it, just for fun, it's not like it's **really** going to work anyway.' and with this thought he paid his 1000 yen for the fishing pole of love.

--

Ryouga (sorta) had every intention of giving Akane the fishing pole. He really, truly sincerely did. He had talked to her once, it had started out about Ranma but Akane had confided in him that she had a crush on someone else. With her words there was a death and a birth. The death of Ryouga's love, and the birth of a beautiful friendship. Akane was Ryouga's first true friend who he could confide in and talk to. And now, Ryouga wanted to help Akane as if to make up for loving her. And so as he waited for her, not trusting his directional skills for actually finding her he waited where he knew she would pass on her way home. But now, as he held the pole in his hand, Ryouga was wondering if it would be weird for him to give it to her. What if she didn't like it, or thought it was gross to reel in the one you loved? Oh no, what if she got the wrong meaning? What if she thought he had guessed her crush, and thought he was butting in too much? What if it was too much of a secret?

"See ya later Akane!"

"Bye bye!"

'-GASP!- It's Akane!' Ryouga mentally screamed. 'OK, calm down Hibiki, just give it to her.' Ryouga took a deep breath, standing up and facing the direction Akane was coming from. Suddenly he heard Ranma's voice. Ranma. . .coming this way. . .

GAH! 'What should I do? What should I say?' Ryoga was running around in circles in his mind, going into complete stress-out freak-out mode. 'If Ranma's here then there's no way that I can give this to her without embarrassing myself!' the thought came out of a mix of others, and as soon as it was consciously conceived Ryouga's brain came to a screeching, unceremonious halt. Use it on Ranma? It only took a second before Ryouga had made his (strange and crazy) decision. After all, it wouldn't hurt to try, it was just a pice of woon and a suction cup…

Taking a breath, Ryoga wheeled back and loosed the string. The stop jerked Ryouga's hand, but he kept the pole in his hand. 'I've caught something!' he thought excitedly, reeling in with gusto. (A/N: sorry for the word 'gusto', it just seemed to fit. I plan on using the words: gushing, giggly, estrogen, and dominatrix. Don't ask how I'll get the last one, I just will.)

"Ranma?!" 'It actually worked?'

"Hey Ryouga, long time no see!" said Ranma as he landed on the boy's head.

"Feeling anything strange lately?" Ryouga aksed. Raanma gave him a funny look.

"Nah, not really, well, see ya!"

Hopping of Ryouga's head and began battling with Kuno once more. Ryouga, seeing no change in Ranma, sighed and broke the pole in half, and it fell into a plot whole and was lost forever, along with Fluffy from Harry Potter and lots of Marry Sues. Ryouga delivered his gifts to Akane, and they walked home together. '

'I was a fool to think, even for a second, that some fishing rod could actually work, it was just an over-priced pole after all.' Ryouga thought as he carried the bag of gifts for Akane.

--

"Ah! That jerk! Look, it's bruising!" complained Ranma as he ran along the fence.

"Oooh, he is so dead!" Just then he looked back to see the pole Ryouga had discarded. Curious, he went over to it and saw it had a manual with it. (It was inside of the pole.)

"What's this?" Ranma wondered aloud.

TBC!!

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A/N: Heh, sorry folks this is just a prologue! I wanted to get it up before ten! Anyway, reviews make YoyYoy-chan write faster! No, that's a lie, they make me feel guilty for not writing faster. But review anyway, just to give me a guilt trip! XD

-YoyYoy-chan.

(I made some minor changes to the text. I will be writing the fifth chapter once all the chapters are up.

-Cold-crescent-moon)

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	2. Telling him

Gushing, giggly, estrogen, dominatrix

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Gushing, giggly, estrogen, dominatrix.

A/N: Chapter two! Wow, I told Emmy-chan (the one I'm writing this for, she wanted one so I'm trying my best for her sake) that I couldn't write Ranma fanfics, but lookie! I can! (and for that mean person who always hates what I write, I SORT OF can, how's that?) So now I'm trying my hardest to get this right and actually please my audience! Be patient, it'll get better! BTW, the lemon I promised in the summary, there's going to be three: heterosexual, yuri, and homosexual. And as for that mystery yuri pairing, you'll just have to read to find out! Now, disclaimer: I don't own Ranma, it belongs to the honorable Rumiko Takashi.

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Just a few months ago, Ryouga's life had taken a turn. It was a dramatic and strange turn, weird and even horrific, and Ryouga was still trying to figure it out. It had all started with a conversation.

-- A few months back --

"Hey Ryouga, back so soon?" Akane asked, smiling as Ryouga began to fidget.

"Uh, well, um, yeah." He said, trying not to panic.

"Want to take a walk with me? I was just going to go for a walk through the park." The girl suggested, Ryouga managed to force from his stammering lips a consent and they began to walk.

Ryouga was all rigid and nervous while Akane was relaxed. But there was something different about her. She didn't seem as angry, and she seemed nearly peaceful as she looked around at the cherry blossoms. It all seemed so romantic, and Ryouga tried to calm himself. He couldn't let his nerves ruin this wonderful moment. After a few minutes of walking in companionable silence Akane was the first to speak.

"Ryouga, we've been friends for a long time," she stated, looking at him. "and I feel I can tell you anything." Ryouga stayed quiet and waited for Akane to continue.

"Ryouga, I have a secret that I've never told anyone, and I feel like you're the one to tell." Akane said as she turned her gaze towards him, Ryouga took a deep breath.

"Akane, I'm glad that you feel that way. And because you're a friend of mine as well, I feel like I can tell you anything when I need to." He said, trying to sound like an older brother or something. He had never had to be one, and he wasn't sure he could now. But he had to try, if Akane was confiding in him.

"Well, there's this person I really like," she said slowly. "but I don't think they like me at all," Ryouga blinked as he a strain on his heart. But she could be talking about him, you never know.

"Who is it?" Asked Ryouga, trying to keep his voice steady. Akane looked up at him with big, chibi eyes.

"That's the whole secret, Ryouga! The person I like, well, it's-" Akane looked away for a moment.

"You have to promise never to hate me, and don't laugh or make fun of me." She muttered.

"I could never hate you Akane! If this is a really serious matter I promise on my liver I won't laugh or make fun of." Ryouga said as he tried to meet her eyes, and suddenly they were gazing into each other's eyes.

"Ok, Ryouga, I have a crush on a girl."

Ryouga blinked. And suddenly he felt a tearing in his chest as his heart split into a million sharp, small pieces and cruelly ripped from his chest. Now he knew Akane didn't like him, but he also knew she wouldn't and couldn't. Oh, he should've seen it! She always said she hated men, she always said that she hated boys, why would he be any different? Ryouga swallowed thickly and gave a shaky smile, trying to keep to his promise so he could keep his liver.

"That's not so bad Akane, I mean, I don't see anything wrong with it in my perspective." He said, patting her reassuringly on the shoulder while plastering on a smile. Akane looked at him with awe and respect.

"Thanks for understanding." She said, returning his smile.

"I should've told you that I was only stopping by, I have to leave on another journey pretty soon." Ryogua lied. Of course, these had not originally been his plans, but how could he stay when he felt like something deep inside him had withered and died?

"Really?" asked Akane, sounding disappointed.

"Sadly, yes," replied Ryouga. "I fear a martial artist's training is never over. Tell Ranma I stopped by." And with that Ryouga ran off, leaving Akane under the cherry trees.

The change hadn't been immediate. There was a large hole, though, in Ryouga's heart where Akane had once been. He knew now that Akane couldn't love him, and so he did the right thing and let her go. But it still pained him, and he cried out his frustrations to the emotionless mountains. They never hurt him, and they sympathetically echoed back his cries.

Ryouga's feelings didn't suddenly evaporate either, they stayed for a while and slowly ebbed with the tide of his heart. But now he knew Akane's feelings, and his love for her let him respect them, though it pained him.

"Ryouga, you've been acting strange." Ranma said as he dodged one of Ryouga's punches.

"Shut up! You know nothing!" Ryouga cried as he sent another punch in Ranma's way, which was easily dodged.

"C'mon, you can tell me!" Ranma said as he caught Ryouga's fist in his hand. "I know something's wrong,"

Ryouga stopped and looked at Ranma, really seeing him for the first time. There he was with a listening ear and a strong shoulder. He was a willing friend, and had been so nice to Ryouga on many occasions. Right then, to Ryouga, Ranma was someone he could talk to. Sighing, Ryouga drew back his hand and straightened his posture.

"It's a long story." He said, voice resigned. Ranma looked up with big, curious eyes. Ryouga looked at him so sadly, it made something click inside of him; Ryouga had never really had a friend, and now he was trying. Ryouga's life was fighting, so it made sense whenever he interacted with someone he usually fought with them, like his many battles with Ranma.

"How about we take a walk?" Ranma suggetsed, gesturing at the park. Ryouga looked up, as if while their fight he hadn't realized where they were.

"Idiot, you only see your opponent when you're fighting." said Ranma good-naturedly. Ryouga nodded distractedly, mind spinning. They walked in silence, Ranma politely giving Ryouga time to organize his thoughts. Finally, Ryouga spoke.

"A little while ago I was talking with Akane," he said slowly. "and I was as good as rejected."

"Did you confess?"

"No, but I didn't need to, she has someone else in mind."

"Harsh." said Ranma.

"And she was unaware of what you felt when she told you?" Ranma asked. Ryouga could only nod.

"I really don't know what to do with myself. It would be wrong of me to continue to like her, but I guess it consumed more of me than I realized," Ranma nodded. He knew how obsessed Ryouga had been.

"Why don't you try to be normal?" The pigtailed boy suggested. Ryouga looked at him, curiosity and confusion etched in his facial expression.

"You know, go to school, get good grades, start living at home ya know?" Ranma said as he patted Ryouga helpfully on the back. Ryouga looked at him as if he (for once) made sense.

"That sounds… nice." Ryouga said softly, then sighed. No strange and needless training journeys, no obsession over fighting someone, and no crush on someone who couldn't love him. Ranma smiled.

"You know, you don't live that far from here," he said slowly. "if you did actually go to school, then maybe we would go to the same school."

Ryouga smiled at Ranma for what felt, and probably was the first time.

"Would that make us friends?" He asked. Ranma grinned.

"Yeah, friends." He said. And it was true, that day they parted as friends.

--

Phew, it was tough reading through the text and fixing up a bunch of stuff. Anyway, I'll update as soon as I can so I can write my own, real chapter. Don't forget, that I only made a few changes for the first four (upcoming) chapters and the real author is YoyYoy. Give her some credit too.

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	3. Poems, tears, PMSing, & baffled thoughts

A/N: Sorry for taking so long

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I don't own anything, so don't sue me. All of the characters here were created by Takahashi Rumiko and they all belong to her.

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Ryouga leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out comfortably under it. He yawned, his arms flexing upwards and then relaxed as the intake of air was completed. Leaning forward again in his chair, he looked back at his paper. Tapping his pencil lightly, he hardly noticed as the pink tip of his tongue slipped slightly out of the corner of his mouth as he thought. Once he had the answer he quickly scrawled it out and then moved on to the next one. Slowly he worked his way through the long and challenging math problems until the bell rang. It seemed the whole class exhaled as one and began to pack up, calling out to friends, making plans, racing out the door to their waiting weekend. Ryouga's lips relaxed into a content smile as he methodically packed his bag and swung it up on his shoulders. Once he stood he was at least two inches taller than all the boys, including the teacher. His steps even he exited the room and took out his compass. An uncertainty crept into the pit of his stomach. So far he hadn't gotten lost on his way to or from school, but there was always many chances for that. Taking a deep breath, he followed the needle. He and Ranma had worked on this problem, and had finally realized that Ryouga's house was directly north of the school. So, all he had to do was follow the little needle, putting one foot in front of the other, until he found the street he lived on. From there his dog was trained to lead him. So far this plan had worked, but Ryouga had very little faith in himself. But soon he found himself safe at home, patting his dog on the head.

"Thanks again, girl." he said. He then moved into the kitchen to grab a snack. Finding nothing, and realizing he wasn't all that hungry he left the kitchen and up to his room. He set his bag down by his desk and sat down at it, taking out a piece of paper and a pencil. Ryouga had always had a way with words, but always got too flustered or emotional to ever express himself. Once he had settled down into his house he had found it was easier to write all the things that were in his head. His writing had taken the form of free verse poetry. He thought a moment before he began to write:

Changing, ever changing,

All at once full of clouds,

The next moment shining brightly.

Where would we be without you,

You who gave us inspiration,

You who gave us rain,

You who provided comfort,

When all else failed?

He paused here, looking out the window at the sky. Today it was slightly cloudy, and he thought about a storm. What does the sky look like in a storm?

Boiling, rumbling clouds,

Seek revenge and pour down on us,

Then they leave, as a scene on a stage,

In a play that never ends,

Now just a light dusting of grey clouds,

Hiding you from view.

Do you get jealous,

Being hidden all the time?

Ryouga looked out the window again. Everything seemed to still for a storm. It seemed at any moment the sun may reappear, and everything would move again.

Then they blow away, just another scene,

And out comes your eternal lover the sun.

She lights you up, and together you glow,

Us humans and animals will be blessed forever,

To live in your loving glow.

'If the sun had so much power, why would clouds hide her away?' He wondered. Why would she hide away from the sky?

Some days you quarrel,

And she covers herself with those clouds.

You're exposed now, to the whole world,

Exposed in your misery.

How would it feel for your lover to hide away from you? What would you lower yourself to, to get her back?

You plead with her to take you back,

And eventually she always does,

For even if there is a cloud,

The sun will always shine again.

Ryouga sat back and glanced at the clock. It had taken nearly ten minutes to write the poem, but he felt it was worth it. He stretched and yawned. Every day when he got home, he would write a poem as a sort of break. Then he would start on his homework and finish just in time to make some dinner. With a calm feeling around him, Ryouga got out his work and began working math equations.

Ryouga's life was going very well. Though, unfortunately, the same could not be said for Ranma. Like most people, even Ranma is susceptible to problems and worries, he just ignores them more than others. But now he had a big problem that couldn't be ignored like all the others. His problem: People. Not to sound emo or anything, but it seemed lately most people were ganging up on him. Akane had become more violent and just plain nasty recently. At first Ranma had thought it was just PMS or something, and of course he couldn't get mad at her for that. He just tried to wait it through, but so far it had been three weeks with no change. As if taking tips from Akane, Ukyou had for some reason become more distant from Ranma. She still smiled and said hi, but she no longer tried to push their engagement on him. It was either that she truly loved him and respected his free will, or that she just lost interest in him. Ranma was still unsure, but had a feeling she had just lost interest. Though what could bring that about was still a complete mystery. Of course, Ranma's father had just been acting the same, sort of. He was more insistent that Ranma marry Akane. And so was Mr. Tendo, they were collaborating more to get Ranma and Akane together. Maybe that was what was so upsetting to Akane. But whatever it was, Ranma seemed to be the one paying the price for it.

Ranma looked up at the ceiling, knowing he wouldn't get a lot of sleep tonight.

"Ranma, we need talk," Shampoo looked at the ground, her eyes large and wet.

Ranma sighed, turning over in bed he saw the Chinese crouching in the sill of his window, which he had left open.

"What's wrong Shampoo?" Ranma asked, sitting up. Shampoo looked away, her bangs covering her eyes with the small bells attached to the ends of her hair ringing.

"We need talk." She repeated again. She looked up, and Ranma saw something indescribable in her eyes. They seemed to reflect a sort of disappointment, but also a sad sort of happiness. She gave a soft, small smile before it faded nearly instantly.

"Come to Cat Café tomorrow after school." She said.

"We need have big talk," And with that she hopped off of the windowsill and landed quietly on her bicycle and pedaled off to deliver the Ramen that was seated on the back.

After a while, Ranma started to watch the blades of the ceiling fan spin around. It seemed the only one who was acting differently in a good way was Ryouga. Ranma groaned as his thoughts turned to the other teen. He knew he would never sleep at all tonight now that his mind had turned to Ryouga. It was weird, only a few weeks ago he had been randomly hooked by Ryouga on a fishing pole. Later he had found out it was the 'Fishing Pole of Love'. Ranma was positive Ryouga had tried to reel in Akane. The poor guy must've been more broken up over it than he thought. But since then Ryouga had shown no signs of pursuing Akane. Maybe since it hadn't worked Ryouga had finally given up and tried to become normal or something. But no matter what was going through Ryouga's head, it left Ranma baffled.

Sighing again, Ranma turned onto his other side, trying to find quiet in his own unconscious retreat. Eventually sleep came, but not after Ranma had had time to ponder more on Ryouga's peculiar behavior.

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	4. kidnapping, more tears, & Ryouga

A/N: Hey, I'll try harder this chapter to make it plotful

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A/N: Hey, I'll try harder this chapter to make it plotful! And what more plotful than another crazy journey?

I do not own Ranma1⁄2 or any of the characters, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Thank you for all the advice and compliments! I'll try to do what you say! So now, please enjoy!

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Ranma and Akane stopped by the Cat Café on their way home from school. But when they came to the café, the sign said they we re closed. Carefully, Ranma opened the door and called inside.

"Shampoo!" His voice echoed ominously. Suddenly Shampoo ran out from the back of the shop. She stopped and stared at the pair a moment.

"Oh Ranma!" She cried, throwing herself at him, her arms encircling his neck.

"Hey- Shampoo!" Cried Ranma, trying to push her off. He suddenly stopped as he felt the wetness on his shirt.

"What's wrong?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Shampoo pulled back from him, her eyes glittering with still to be shed tears.

"Oh Ranma!" she cried again. "Great-grandmother gone missing!"

"What?" Ranma and Akane asked in unison, surprised and bewildered they took a step closer to hear what happened.

"She go missing two days ago!" Replied Shampoo, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ranma cried, confused why the girl would keep quiet about something this serious for two days.

"B-because, letter say not to." The girl said through a sniffle as she handed Ranma an envelope.

"Shampoo find when Grandmother go missing."

Ranma quickly opened the letter, scanning over it as Akane craned her neck over his shoulder.

Dear Shampoo,

We know you are an Amazon warrior, and your status back in your home village. We have abducted your great-grandmother. That much should be obvious. What we want are your skills as an Amazon warrior for a job we need done. If you want to see your grandmother again, be at Jusenkyo on June fifth, one month's time, at 2:30. One of us will be there to inform you of your task. Once the task is completed, your grandmother will be returned to you safely. If not, she will parish at our hands. We know your decision, do you?

P.s. If you inform anyone of this, especially the police, you can count on us to make sure that you will never see your grandmother.

"That is one bad ransom note." Akane said with a scoff. "Why do they want you at Jusenkyo anyway?"

"But they abducted Great-grandmother!" Shampoo cried out again, ignoring Akane's question and giving her the reason why she had to go.

"They going to kill her!"

"Calm down Shampoo!" Ranma said and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes;

"We're going to help you, all right? We're going to make sure you don't have to do anything for those people, whoever they are, and get Cologne back!"

"Really Ranma?" Shampoo asked, her eyes shining with tears and admiration with her hands clasped under her chin.

"Of course Shampoo, we always help a friend in need." He replied. Akane sighed and leaned against the doorway. Of course, he claimed to never love any of his fiancés, but he would always help them. Akane felt a twinge of jealousy. It was a twinge she never understood, she knew for a fact she didn't love him. But then why the jealousy? Maybe because he would always be nice to anyone. Maybe because it always felt like an act around her. Akane sighed once more, snapping herself out of her daze. That was stupid, self-pity never got you anywhere.

"But what these people want from Shampoo?" Shampoo was speculating.

"Maybe your skills as a warrior," Ranma said, pointing to one of the sentences in the note.

"But they good warrior too!" Shampoo said dramatically. "They kidnap great-grandma!"

"True." Ranma said, thinking hard. "I hate to think it's something Cologne doesn't have." Ranma said as he shivered at the thought. 'Maybe it was someone that knew her form before and had a vague idea of her weakness… Or was it a group of assassins that was led by someone who knew Cologne and her weak points…?

"What you mean?" Shampoo asked with a worried expression etched on her face.

"He means something like youth and good looks." Akane commented, jumping into the conversation. Shampoo's eyes grew wider.

"What?" She cried. "Shampoo no like that!"

"Calm down Shampoo! I said I wasn't going to let anything happen to you!" Ranma said, resting his hands on her shoulders and looking into her frightened eyes again.

"Nothing is going to happen, and we're going to get Cologne back!"

Shampoo nodded. In the background, Akane rolled her eyes.

"You can." She said as she slide the door open. "But count me out." And with that she turned and left the café, heading for home.

"What wrong with stupid Akane?" Shampoo asked angrily, didn't she see that Cologne was kidnapped? Ranma shrugged, looking at the spot Akane had disappeared from his sight. Slowly, he turned back to Shampoo.

"I know a lot of people who wouldn't pass up a chance to go to Jusenkyo, I'll see if they'll help us." He said. "And maybe a few other friends of mine." Shampoo nodded.

"I'll talk to them tomorrow and come back here tomorrow evening." Ranma said and looked around, feeling (for some reason) very responsible.

"We'll talk about traveling there tomorrow, all right? You just get some rest and make sure they don't change their minds and come back here for you." Shampoo nodded, understanding.

"Ranma help Shampoo a lot." She said. "Thank you,"

"No problem," said Ranma, patting her on the shoulder. "Anything for a friend." With that they said their goodbyes and Ranma left. As he walked home, he knew another sleepless night lay ahead of him. He had a lot to think over.

--

Ranma ran through the forest. He was looking for something, but he didn't know what. It was something important, he knew that, but the trees were too thick. It was somewhere, it had to be! The tension mounting in Ranma nearly made him panic, running wide-eyed through the maddeningly thick trees. Ranma finally stopped and looked up at the trees themselves. Funny, trees shouldn't look like that, should they? Ranma squinted up at the branches. Shocked, he nearly fell over with the overwhelming realization; These weren't trees, they were people! Tall, thick people, like giants from fairytales, but they all had two things in common: They all carried swords by their sides and had stern, hardened faces. These trees were warriors! Scared, Ranma began to run again, but this time without direction. The emotionless faces of the warriors began to stare down on him as he began to go hysterical while running.

"What the hell's going on…? What the fuck is happening…?!" He swore while panting. Suddenly Ranma came to a clearing and knew he had found what he had come looking for. Ryouga stood in the center of the clearing, on the dead and shed leaves of older warriors.

In his hands he held his pulsing, red heart. It glowed with an ethereal light, an aura of power. Ryouga's face was, however, tilted to meet the eyes of the trees.

"Ryouga?" Ranma asked softly, taking a tentative step into the clearing. As he did so he noticed the hole in the ground at Ryouga's feet, shallow enough to reach the fertile soil under the crumbling leaves. Ryouga's head turned to Ranma, his eyes vacant.

"Ranma?" His voice was a whisper, a barely audible wind rustling through the trees.

"What are you doing here?"

"That's my line!" Ranma yelled and took three paces towards the emotionless boy, he now felt the sense of urgency.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ryouga asked with his voice rising a bit, his mouth set in an ironic, sad smile.

"I want to be one of the best, Ranma." He said. Ranma didn't need clarification to know what he meant.

"To grow myself to their heights I must bury my heart." Ryouga said and cupped the heart in both hands, bringing it up to his face and closing his eyes as if feeling the warmth if its glow.

"I'll be like them, the best." Ryouga's eyes opened slowly as he brought his face up and studied the cold, white trees around him. He wasn't focusing on their tall figure or the weapons they held, he was seeing his face among them.

"Wait, Ryouga, you don't have to do that." Ranma said. "You don't have to get rid of your heart to be a great warrior."

"Don't I?" asked Ryouga, his face turning back to Ranma's, now with no expression left.

"How else am I going to be worth something?" He said through a monotone voice. Slowly, Ryouga's hands parted, his heart falling in slow motion.

"No!" Ranma cried leaping forward. His finger tips barely grazed Ryouga's heart before it hit the ground. As soon as it settled into the hole an explosion blew Ranma backwards.

"Ryouga!" He cried, his hand reaching out to the spot where Ryouga had just been standing in. But Ryouga was not there. All Ranma had a glimpse of was a tall, cold, blank tree, climbing to meet the others.

--

Ranma sat up in a cold sweat. What had that been about? Ranma looked around, his father hadn't been disturbed by his outbreak. Ranma laid back down, watching the spinning fan above him. He had even more to think about now.

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"Ranma! Breakfast!" Kasumi called up the stairs. Ranma awoke with a start for the second time. After letting reality set in he hurried out of his bed, sending his blankets halfway across the room in his movements. He hurried down the stairs and slid into his place at the table as if it were home base. He luckily got his share of food, snatching it out from under his dad's nose. He swallowed the rice, barely chewing it, and drank his water to make sure it all got down.

"It looks like it's going to be a lovely day." Kasumi said in a calm voice, daintily eating her food.

"Yes." Mr. Tendo said, nodding his head slightly as he looked to his side and stared at the garden for a moment. Mr. Saotome grumbled, not being able to speak in his panda form. Ranma shot up from the table and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, grabbing his bag as he headed for the front door.

"Come on Akane!" He called over his shoulder. "We're going to be late!"

"Go ahead!" Akane called back. "I'll catch up!"

"All right!" Ranma slipped on his shoes and hurried down the street, jumping onto the fence. As he began to run, he thought of who he would ask first. Of course Mousse would come, he would do anything for Shampoo and a chance to be a whole man again. Pantyhose Taro? He would know the way there, of course, but where to find him in a day? And Ukyo, she might help if Ranma asked, she would do it for him. And then there was Ryouga. Would he do it for a chance to be a whole man or. . . no, it was too much to hope for. As a friend, sure he'd help Ranma as a chance to get to Jusenkyo, but would he do it just for the sake of their friendship? Ranma shook his head. There was only one way to find out.

When he neared the school, he caught sight of the Hibiki, walking with his eyes glued to the street and his compass/

"Hey, Ryouga!" Ranma called out, jumping down from the fence and landing in front of the forever-lost-boy. Ryouga looked up and managed a smile.

"Hi Ranma." He said and put the compass in his pocket, he wouldn't need it since he was with the pig-tailed boy.

"Made it to school all right I see." Ranma said, Ryouga nodded. Then, for a brief second, flashes of what had happened in Ranma's dream replayed before turning into murky and unclear images. Ranma took a step closer to Ryouga.

"Only thanks to this." Ryouga said as he patted the compass inside of his pocket. He didn't seem to notice the color change in Ranma's face. The two made it through the front gate, and just when they were switching shoes the first bell rang.

"Listen Ryouga, there's something I need to talk to you about." Ranma said as he closed the small locker door. "Meet me at lunch, kay?"

"All right,"

"And don't get lost on your way to class!" Ranma teased as they separated. Ryouga smiled to himself as he neared the stairs. Ranma was always so cheerful, it made him want to be more happy. And someday he would be, someday soon.

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A/N: OK! I tried my best, and page break is just being a shit head. And I'm sorry about the bold thing, I truly am, but I can't do anything about it. I'll never do it again, I swear. Thank you for reading!

Just another patch of minor changes set in the text, the fifth will be up sometime. Sorry for the wait too.

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	5. Distancing

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I don't own anything

Chapter five

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She couldn't take her eyes off of her. She was perfect in everyway; Kind, gentle, didn't have a short temper, and was so pretty. Akane gave a sigh as she buried her face in her hands. No one would understand how she felt, her father agreed to marry her off without her consent, so she doubted that he would accept this truth. Nabiki would probably find a way to make a profit out of it. And maybe, just maybe, Kasumi-Neechan would give her a smile and nod her head in acceptance. The only problem left was Ranma. How would she deal with that mooching dumbo who lacked the understanding of other people's feelings? The short haired girl gave a distressed groan and put her head down, resting it on top of her folded arms. When the teacher noticed this, he was going to call her name out, but at the same time, thanks to the powers that be, the bell rang, indicating the end of fifth period. She didn't bother to get up, so she didn't see the pig-tailed mooching dumnbo rush out of the room with his bento-bako in hand. (Bento-bako= Lunch-case)

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Ryouga wasn't that stupid. Or so he hoped. He knew where the roof was; it was on the top of the building, and he knew how to get there without his compass. So when the bell rang he collected his things, left it at his desk, took out a sandwich he made earlier and strode out of the classroom. He turned left, made his way down to the furthest staircase and walked up. It was easy to remember, and it would be good training for him to roam about without having to stick his eyes to a compass. Ryouga smiled a bit. Maybe, maybe he could become a normal kid like Ranma had said. He got decent grades, his teachers liked him, and the others were nice to him. Everything was fine, but…

Akane had been avoiding him.

At first he had thought that she was a bit embarrassed to face him, who wouldn't be after telling a friend that you're interested in a girl when you're one yourself. But then the separation got longer, he felt the gap in between them widen. He began to worry, was it something he said? Did he do something out of the ordinary? Was it because he joined the school she distanced herself? Or maybe it was the way he excused himself from her after the surprising confession. The pig-boy gave a distressed sigh (much like Akane) as he got to the top floor; the roof. Pushing open the door he felt the wind rush up to him and run by, ruffling his locks in the process as well. He sucked in a lungful of air, held it there, and breathed out. It felt good to be outside on the roof of a building.

"Hey, Ryouga! Up here!"

The boy looked up to see his friend sitting up on the top of the whatcha-ma-call-it. (A/n: When you get up to the roof there's a room like structure that's covering the staircase, you can usually go up on that once you're outside and gaze up at the sky and ditch class. So since I don't know what they're called I'm going to have to refer it as a whatcha-ma-call-it. Sorry!)

"Ranma, did I keep you waiting?"

He shook his head no.

"I just got here as well. Come up here! The view is pretty nice."

The other nodded his head and jumped up to where he sat perched.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Once he asked, the smile disappeared from the boy's face, a serious expression overtook his face.

"You know Shampoo, right?" (Ranma)

"Yeah." (Ryouga)

"You know that she runs the Neko-Hanten with her great-grandma Cologne, right?" (Ranma)

"Yeah." (Ryouga)

"Turns out that Cologne was kidnapped by either a person, or a group. They're most likely hanging around Jusenkyo."

Ryouga's heart beat began to speed up.

"Shampoo is devastated and will do anything for Cologne, I want to help her and get Cologne back, I'm pretty sure that Moose (spelling?) will come along, I was thinking about getting Tarou (spelling?) to give us a ride and be back up." Ranma said as he turned and locked eyes with the other.

"Will you come too?"

He didn't know what to say, or rather, how to say. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, and grinned and shot them back open.

"How could I not? After all, we might even return to normal after this."

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Uwa… this chapter is too short for my liking, but I didn't know how to continue and I've already kept you guys waiting long enough. I'll try to make the chapters longer, so, uh, I won't disappoint you are anything.

Other than that, thanks for reading, and reviews always make me want to write more, but even if you guys don't, I can see how many people read my story thanks to fanfiction and their new addition "Story Status." Okay, so I guess I'll see you guys in the next chapter, thanks for reading!

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